Anonymous Ad Guy

Brand Locally, Sell Globally.

Consider the teddy bear. Cute. Cuddly. Fun for toddlers. And in the case of the one on the left, a little naughty.

Is there a market for a good teddy bear? Sure there is. Now consider a teddy bear brand associated with one of the smallest states in the union and marketed exclusively to men. That's less than a niche. That's like a tiny notch in a niche. Can you imagine walking into a bank with a business plan for a product like that?

I'm describing, of course, the original business model for Vermont Teddy Bear, a great example of a narrow-niche business, and a relevant case study for anyone entering the hopelessly cluttered ecommerce realm.

John Sortino had been making and selling teddy bears in Burlington Vermont for nearly ten years. And he was doing okay with it, until 1990, when he went to New York with an unusual marketing strategy-- radio ads targeting guys who needed a great, unique gift just before Valentine's Day-- a Bear-Gram as they called it. Teddy Bear ads targeting guys? It was crazy. It also killed. his fledgling company made its sales goals for the entire year in just two days, and a marketing sensation was born.

Vermont Teddy Bear built its success with only one target customer in mind-- the panicked male desperate to get a gift at the last minute for a loved one-- and they offered him one, simple, unique product. They focused the marketing on direct response radio that hit the most relevant outlets for reaching this specific type of guy. Talk radio, sports, that sort of thing. It was certainly the only Teddy Bear being advertised among the sea of steak houses and "buy gold" blather that typically sponsors dude-focused radio.

That was then. Today, they're selling more than 350,000 bears a year and have launched the highly-successful sister brand Pajama-Gram, which also narrowly focuses a simple product on a very specific target.

Vermont Teddy Bear didn't make its lot trying to be all things to all people. Rather, it focused on being a specific thing to a specific person. And in today's digital world, it's possible to find success being more specific than ever. But the web is awash with startups trying to rule the world, to sell everything to everyone, or to create the next social networking behemoth.

So let me say this as clearly as I can. You are not going to be the next Amazon. You are not going to be the next Facebook. The venture capital gods are not going to summon you to Menlo Park and hand you the keys because you have a site that does and sells the same junk that ten thousand other sites do and sell. The web is littered with the hollowed out corpses of these sorts of startups. And it's a shame, because the web is also littered with tons and tons of opportunity.

The real opportunity is in the narrow-niche. Why? Because the deeper your potential customer pool, the narrower your niche can be. John Sortino would never have grown Vermont Teddy Bear just selling to frantic husbands in Burlington. He needed access to a deeper pool of these guys. Likewise, you can take a very specific product offering and, with a smart SEM campaign and a well-optimized site, find a very deep pool of customers as well. Here are the markings of a great narrow-niche business:

It's instantly distinctive.
It should be clear from the moment someone encounters your product that there's nothing else out there like it. It's got a hook, a story, a promise, a something that sets it apart from the get-go. Don't try to create a "me-to" product that'll put you head-to-head with  bigger, more well-funded competitor. Instead, offer something different enough that the competition ignores it entirely (even as the customers come through the door).

It's not for everybody.
Vermont Teddy Bear owns the concept of the Teddy Bear made in Vermont. To many people, that means nothing, but to the right people, it means everything. A great narrow-niche business will succeed by being something very special to a specific audience, and screw the rest of the world.

Nobody else is selling it.
Much of the ecommerce world is focused these days on selling the same stuff through different channels. It's a bit like opening up a stereo store in a mall next to a dozen other stereo stores and hoping for the best. If you see a dozen stereo stores in a row, try opening a store that sells earplugs.

It's cheap to SEM.
The more unique and distinctive your product, the cheaper it is to create a robust, relevant search campaign for it. Selling hot sauce out of your apartment in Taos, New Mexico? Don't buy "hot sauce" as a search phrase. Buy "New Mexico hot sauce" or "Taos hot sauce" or "green chile hot sauce." It'll cost you less, and the people you land will be that much more relevant to your business.

It's got a soul. Namely yours.
TGI Friday's has no soul. But Potbelly's? That place has a soul. And it comes from being proud and standing tall with regards to who you are and what you offer. Things that have soul come from real people who put real love and passion into the things they create. This is my hot sauce. This is my design firm. This is my teddy bear. And it's okay when someone doesn't want what you offer. Whether online or in line at lunch, this is just as true. Create something simple, genuine, and unique. Something your proud of. Something that stirs the emotions of others. If you can do that, you've found your niche.

The Limits Of Brand Loyalty In A Down Economy.

As I've mentioned before, brands that invest in creating loyalty amongst their best customers in good times reap the rewards when things go south. That doesn't mean, of course, that you can simply go on doing what you've always done and expect your customers to return like good little sheep.

The simple truth is, at some point customers feeling the pinch will eventually shop around. They'll trade down to less expensive products, and here's the thing... if that cheaper product gets the job done same as that more familiar, more expensive brand, their loyalty can shift away for good.

The good folks at Marketplace explored this recently in a piece called Will Brand Loyalty Return In Good Times, and it's well worth checking out.

A Voice Worth Hearing.

I often go on about the sham voices of authority out there. The gurus. The profit-prophets. Anyone who tells you the way to get rich is to go around telling others how to get rich.

So it's nice to find someone out there worth recommending. Gregory Galant hosts Venture Voice, a no-nonsense look at successful entrepreneurship. Gregory doesn't blather on about his personal trade secrets to creating wealth by sitting on your butt doing nothing. He talks to people who have built real businesses from the ground up, marketed them with little or no money, and achieved great things. The founders of Mimeo, Pandora, and Green Mountain Energy just to name a few. And better yet, he lets them do most of the talking.

I don't know Gregory... never met the fellow. But from what I've heard, he's someone to keep up with. His podcasts don't adhere to a strict schedule; he only does one when he's got something worth podcasting about-- and when it doesn't get in the way of his day job. Man, I can relate to that.

Check it out.

Don Lapre Wants To Be Your Facebook Friend!

There I was, piddling about on Facebook, reading update after thrilling update (Still waiting at the doctor's office-- ugh! Kiddos asleep, time for The Mentalist! Tuesday night + Bunko = Wee!). And look who pops up, catching the wave that is social media marketing. Don Lapre! Diamond Don! King of the 900 number!

In the mid 90s he showed us all how to get crazy rich by placing tiny classified ads. Then he invented The Greatest Vitamin In The World. Ten years and mucho botox later, Don's face, Don's hair, and Don's scams haven't changed a bit. Now he's using tiny ads on Facebook. And once again, he'll get you rich! Quick! Call now! NOW!

His current bit? He'll help you make MILLIONS by creating your very own commercial. No kidding. His "new way to increase your company's sales" is apparently by producing a commercial that you can then run on your website, for millions of people to watch! That's gold!

If you've read some of my other posts on this topic you likely know I'm no fan of Don and his ilk. There are no magic bullets or secret formulas. There is only this: create something great that you believe in and consumers can use. Find the most compelling way to reach out to them. And make sure you meet their expectations. It's not sexy, and it can be hard going. But it's what actually works.

Now I'm off to check out Don's Twitter feed.

UPDATE: Yes, he really does tweet...

Not To Say I Told You So, But...

Oh screw it. I pretty much did. Way, way, way back in October I posted a piece (Wendy's New Flavor Of The Month Is... Flavor!) about how Wendy's seemed to have lost the true essence of the brand. Looks like they agree-- they've decided to ditch the current campaign and put the account into review. Here's hoping they get back to the simple, neighborhood burger joint spirit that Dave Thomas instilled in the place.

I also leveled some criticism at Bud Light (Careful, Your Strategy Is Showing) for using a bizarre marketing term like "drinkability" as the centerpiece of a creative campaign. Bud Light sales have been sliding all year, but as of now, they're sticking with the game plan, citing it as something that truly differentiates them from the other guys. Can't say I agree-- Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Light, and tapwater are all equally drinkable in my book. We'll keep watching.

At least the brand hasn't completely abandoned its potty-mouthed frathouse ways, as evidenced by this on-line only ad that ripped up the intertubes earlier this year.

Anonymous Ad Guy... Back, And Not So Anonymous.

So, an ad guy friend emails me not so long ago and says, “Hey, is this you?” And there’s a link to this blog. It seems a posting I did on Bud Light popped up in a search he had done, and he thought he recognized the writing style. And, I think, the hairline. He forwarded it to a few other ad guy friends, and they all concurred. I was Anonymous Ad Guy.

So the dream was over. I was outed-- busted like a horny politician in an airport bathroom stall. So be it.

Then he asked, “Why aren’t you still posting?” Just like a zillion other bloggers, I had started out strong, but then fell off the radar.

The simple reason has been time. Since the New Year, I’ve been working my can off at the agency, taking care of current clients, hunting down new ones, and making sure we’re doing great work that moves the needle. This has been job #1 for me, and it’s a full-timer.

So rather than posting a bunch of half-baked fluff just for the sake of posting, I went silent.

But now that my anonymity has been blown, I’ve decided to come back. With a few changes.

While still a blog for small businesses and startups, I’m inviting some more people to the party. Clients, colleagues, ad guys, whoever. Keep an eye out for their thoughts and comments as well.

Because no matter who you are or what you’re trying to do, the questions are still the same. How do we build our businesses? How do we grow our brands? How do we set ourselves apart in the minds of consumers?

I’ll also be keeping an eye on, and commenting on, the good and bad of marketing today. Feel free to join in.

So anyway, hi. My name’s David. It’s good to be back. Now let’s get cracking.

The Smartest Super Bowl Commercial In Years.

Now, I saw this spot a week before it aired during the big game, so I didn't consider it a true Super Bowl spot. But if there's one spot-- indeed one campaign-- worth learning something from, it's from Denny's.

First, it's funny. Damn funny. The casting works, the writing works, the direction is impeccable. It looks, sounds, and feels just as it should, so hats off to the creative team at Goodby, the director, and the client for having the guts to do it right.

But there's more at work here. Denny's has seized on a brilliant opportunity to deposition the competition and take full ownership of breakfast. IHOP has abandoned it, and no one else has really come out to say, "we are breakfast." Until now. Good for Denny's. And better yet, they've opted to define what breakfast is. Eggs. Bacon. Pancakes. Anything but the Rooty-Tooty-Fresh-And-Fruity.

And the clincher: today they offered a free breakfast to everyone in America. Simple as that. Come in, eat, it's free. And from what I've read, America showed up and ate.

There are three meals in a day, and with one brilliantly thought out campaign, Denny's has taken sole possession of one of them. This is killer, pro-active, go for the throat marketing, and we can all learn from it.

I'm Working On It...

2009 has hit the ad guy like a ton of bricks. I've got clients all a-twitter over the economy. I've got several new business presentations I'm gearing up for. I've got a 15-month old who started walking a few weeks ago. Yes, my hands are full.

Rather than post a bunch of useless fluff and filler, I've gone on hiatus for a spell. I'll be back in full effect when I can give it my all. Until then, I'm still checking the "Ask It" section, so feel free to drop any questions at me you might have.

Hope you're having a happy and safe 2009.

-AG

(Oh, and yes, I did watch the Super Bowl ads. I didn't have any spots in the running, but a few friends did-- not the Sobe stuff either, thank goodness. All in all, a decent year, but no major standouts.)

Away For The Holidays.

Airplanes. Babies. TSA. In-laws. Boy, do I have some good stuff cooking about airline customer service. And I haven't even been on a plane yet.

It's the holidays for the Ad Guy. I'll be honky-tonky until 2009.

Peace.

Marketing Food For Thought: December 15, 2008

At this happy, clappy, feel-good time of year that drives many people to the brink of depression and insanity, I thought I'd strip away the warm fuzzies for a cold, scientific look at what makes people do what they do. The science of decision-making is all the rage these days, as seen in a recent up-tick in books on the topic. This, then, is my holiday book list on the science of human choices (as they relate to marketing). Any one of these should make a fine gift for the curious marketer in your life.

Buyology, by Martin Lindstrom. I've read it, and despite Lindstrom's tendency to waste ink puffing up his own credentials ("As a branding expert and brand futurist..." ack) it's quite good. Much of it is centered around a $7 million study Lindstrom did analyzing the neurological effects of branding, with many surprising results.

Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me), by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. A tad more humble look at Cognitive Dissonance Theory, which explores how we seek to rationalize our often irrational, and poor, decisions. I read it, and I liked it.

Nudge, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein. This one breaks down how we think into two basic cognitive systems: the automatic and reflexive, and looks at the roles of these systems in decision making. The book also seeks out ways that we can all improve decision making in our own lives. Haven't read it but I've heard good things.

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell. Anyone familiar with this blog knows I'm a fan of the man with the bad hair. Don't always agree with him, but he's a terrific writer and he makes you think. Anything by Gladwell is sure to get the cerebral juices flowing.

The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho. Has nothing to do with marketing, but lots to do with choices. If you haven't, you really should.